Method of and apparatus for forming stacks of grain for curing



D. M. GRAHAM.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING STACKS 0F GRAIN FOR CURING.

APPLICATION man MAR. 5. 1918.

1,376,757. Patentd May 3,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l- D. M. GRAHAM.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING STACKS 0F GRAIN FOR CURING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-5,19?-

1,87 6,7 57. Patented May 3,1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2v v I amen I01,

D. M. GRAHAM. METHOD OF AND, APPARATUS FOR FORMING STACKS 0F GRAIN FORCURING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 5.19m.

Patented May 3 1921.

4' SHEETS-SHEET 3. .I

I L... l I I I I I D. M. GRAHAM.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING STACKS 0F GRAIN FOR CURING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 5, I9I8. v

Patented May 3, 1921.

Swmwtoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID M. GRAHAM, OF BORDULAC, NORTH DAKOTA, ASSIGNOR TO GRAHAM-ROACHHARVESTER & STACKER COMPANY, OF NORTH DAKOTA.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING STAOKS OF GRAIN FOR CURING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ma 3, 1921.

Application filed March 5, 1918. Serial No. 220,578.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID M. GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bordulac, in the county of Foster and State of North Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of andApparatus for Forming Stacks of Grain for Curing, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawing.

The invention relates to a method of and mechanism suitable for thestacking of grain, hay, straw and the like for the subsequent curing ofthe same, thereby saving the various costs incident to binding.

IVith such object in view, as well as other advantages which may beincident to the use of the improvements, the invention consists in theprocedure and in the use of the parts and combinations thereofhereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that theseveral necessary elements constituting the same may be varied inproportions and arrangement without departing from the nature and scopeof the invention.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood there are shownin the accompanying drawing means for carrying the same into practicaleffect, without limiting the improvements, in their usefulapplications,to the particular constructions which, for the purpose ofexplanation, have been made the subject of illustration. In the saiddrawings:

Figure l is a side view of said mechanism, comprising a stack former,the same showing the grain-side of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with a portion of a space formerarranged to receive a formed and dumped stack.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on line IIIIII of Fig. 2, showing indotted lines the dumping position of the mechanism and a depositedstack.

Fig. 4 is a detail view, partly in hori zontal section, of the movablehinge connection of the bottom.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a formed stack and aventilating space former which has been withdrawn from the same.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section of a portion of the space former.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on line VII VII of Fig. 2, showing theground wheel clutch.

Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. 3, but showing a modified means forcontrolling the movement of the platform.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a stack-former havingsubstantially vertical end walls 2 and 3 and side walls 4: and 5 and abottom 6, the bottom being upwardly movable for the purpose of dumpingthe formed stack and the side wall 5 being in the nature of a gateadapted to open outward to release the stack. The stackformer comprisesa bottom frame 7 which is supported on a transverse shaft 8 which is ormay be non-rotary. At the near side or grain side of the machine theframe 7 is secured to said axle by a bearing or bracket 9 (Fig. 3) andat the off-side or stubble side of the machine said frame is secured tothe shaft by a bearing 9. 10 is a longitudinal sill member whichsupportsthe offside of the frame 7. On the outer end of said shaft ismounted a ground wheel 11. The ground wheel may be the bull wheel of aharvesting mechanism or'it may be independent of such mechanism. Thefront and rear ends of the sill 10 are carried by ground caster wheels12 and 13. At the front end of the machine is constructed a driversplatform 14:, and the draft mechanism may be of any suitable characterand is not illustrated. When the stack forming machine is combined with.a harvesting apparatus in one machine, a single draft mechanism maysuffice for the same. Carried on the base frame 7 is an upright frame15, supporting the vertical walls and certain other parts of theapparatus.

The bottom 6 is independent of the vertical walls so as to be tiltablesidewise of the machine for the deposit of a stack as indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 8. The bottom is constructed of a supporting frame16 carrying a suitable grain supporting platform, and in normal positionis arranged within the side wall 4 and end walls, and at a level justunder the side wall or gate 5 (as seen in. Fig. 3). The frame 16 isprincipally supported by the frame 7 and is partly supported and guidedwhen it is tilted, by front and rear longitudinal pivots 17 mounted onbrackets 17 fixed to the bottom and engaging in the inner ends of links18, the latter being mounted on outer longitudinal pivots 19, the latterbeing carried by the frame 7. The off-side and delivery edge of thetilting bottom is or may be formed by a series of rods 20 having theirinner ends secured in the frame 16 and extending out to the bottom ofthe gate 5.

26 is a clutch lever pivotallysupported in a bracket 27 on the side wall4 and held in locked position by a rack 28. The lever 26 extends to apoint near the Mile 8 and is there provided with a yoke 29 connectedwith a rotary clutch member 30 of a winding mechanism, said member beingslidable on a sleeve 30 fixed to or formed with the hub of the wheel 11,and the member 30 is rotary therewith by means of a spline 31.

The other member 31 of the clutch is attached to a drum or pulley 32which is loosely mounted on the axle and has attached thereto wire orother ropes or cables 33, 34 which pass over pulleys 35, 36, to thefront and rear ends of the machine respectively and around pulleys 3738,' and thence pass across the machine and around pulleys 39, 40, andthence downward to points of attachment at 41 where their ends aresecured to the near side of the tiltable bottom 6.

At or near the front and rear ends of the inner side of the bottom areattached rollers 42 (Fig. 4) which, when the bottom is tilted, areadapted to travel upward and toward the off-side of the machine inflanged guide plates 43, the latter being attached to the inner faces ofthe front and rear end walls of the machine.

The gate 5 is tilted by means of ropes 44, which are connected with theropes 33, 34 and with arms 46 of the gate, which arms extend above thepivot rod 47 of the gate, and are adapted to open the gate to theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 when the bottom is tilted tostack-dumping position. The pivot 47 is mounted by brackets 48 on anupward extension 49 of the frame 15. The ground wheel 11 is held frominward movement on the axle by means of a collar 45 fixed to said axle.

It will be seen from the above described construction that, a stackhaving been formed in the machine, it may be dumped at the desired time,and at the proper point in the advance of the machine, by lifting thefront end of the lever 26 from the rack 28 and swinging the lever handleto the left away from the machine. This operation causes the clutch armof the lever 26 to slide the clutch member 30 inward into engagementwith the clutch member 31, whereupon the pulley 32 is rotated with theground wheel, the cables 33, 34 are wound up, and the inner side of thebottom is hoisted upward to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.3, the rollers 42 on said bottom following upward in the guide slots ofthe plates 43. During the dumping operation the side gate 5 is opened asalready mentioned.

After the stack has been dumped the lever 26 is returned to normalposition to release the drum and bottom 6 which latter returns to normalposition by gravity or otherwise. The lever 26 is or may be returned tonormal position as described by the cam projection 60 fixed on thepulley 32, which cam, after about one revolution of the pulley, engagesthe inner side of the clutch-throwing arm of the lever, as shown in Fig.3, and moves said arm and the clutch member 30 outward. But the operatormay thus draw the lever 26 before the cam projection 60 comes intoposition to engage it. The gate 5 is held open so as not to drag uponthe stack as the machine moves forward by means of one or more arms 50which catch under latches 51 attached to the frame 49. The latch 51 ispivoted at 50' (Fig. 1), held in operative position by a spring 51 andreleased at will to drop the gate by a handle 52. While the bottom istilted any incoming grain, which ordinarily comes over the side wall 4from the elevator of a harvesting machine, is or may be received in anapron 52. This apron is illustrated as consisting of a canvas having itsupper longitudinal edge secured to the side wall 4 and its lower edgesecured to the inner side of the bottom 6. This apron is shown in grainreceiving position in dotted lines in Fig. 3. When the bottom isrestored to normal position the apron will be straightened out and anycollected grain will drop upon the bottom. After such replacement of thebottom the gate 5 is dropped and a bottom bar 53 thereof will engageunder catches 54 (Fig. 3) with which several or all of the rods 20 areprovided.

When the bottom makes its first movement toward dumping, as hereinbeforedescribed, the right hand edge of the bottom (viewing Fig. 3) is thrustto the right by the governing action of the guide slots at 43, wherebythe links 18 are caused to swing outward and upward. This upwardmovement carries the catches 54 to a suiiicient elevation to allow thebottom pair 53 to swing upward and outward. The side wall of gate 5 isthus automatically released at or about the beginning of the dumpingoperation.

The machine is drawn across the field where grain is being harvested andas or after the grain is cut it is stacked in the former 1 by anysuitable means until the latter is substantially full, and then theformed stack A is dumped as above described so that one of its sideswill become the bottom of the stack and the other side the top. It willbe understood that this machine may be attached to the side or rear of aharvester, or otherwise transported with the same, so as to receive thegrain as fast as it is cut from the elevator of the cutting apparatus.

I prefer to employ the described machine in connection with means fordeforming the stack interiorly as it is dumped and by aid of the dumpingoperation, so that the stack will be provided with air ventilatingspaces or openings for the curing of the grain in the stack, as morefully described in my application Serial Number 47,256, filed Aug. 25,1915. The preferred means for this purpose consists in a portable spaceformer C (Figs. 3 and 5). This device may be constructed as shown,comprising a bottom frame, 56, one or more space forming devices 57attached to said frame and conveniently made of sheet metal or canvasstretched over an interior lattice, supporting ground rollers 58 tofacilitate the transportation of the space former and its withdrawalfrom under the stack, and a suitable draft connection 59 for moving andtransporting the space former, by a horse or any convenient means. Theformer C is located at the off-side of the course to be pursued by themachine and at the place where it is intended to deposit a stack (Fig.2). The machine will be conducted close to the end of the stack-former(Fig. 3) and the stack A will be dumped to take a position on top of theformer, thereby producing one or more air ventilating spaces E (Fig. 5)in the base of the stack. It will be understood that the space former Cmay have one or several of the forming devices 57, as may be desired,according to the size of the stack and the conditions of curing whichare to be met. After the stack has been dumped it may be exteriorlyformed and arched by an attendant with a fork, who may also work downthe straw at the sides of the forming devices to produce a solid base,and may, preliminarily to the arching and finishing of the stack, mountupon it and press down the straw more or less solidly around the formingdevices, Preferably the stack is allowed to remain on the former andbecome settled and compacted for a convenient time, depending upon thenecessity of using the former sooner or later for the production ofanother stack. It will be convenient to have six or more of the formersC at hand ready for use with the stack forming and dumping machine, andthese may be handled by a boy and horse on the ground who will from timeto time place one of the formers C where it will be required.

I may say that under ordinary average conditions, which, however, varyconsiderably, two stacks to the acre will be produced by the method andapparatus above described. The former 1 and the stack may beconveniently ten feet long and six feet wide and six to seven feet high,and the forming devices 57 may be eight inches wide, thirty inches highand about seven feet long. After the space former has been withdrawnfrom the stack the air ventilating spaces E will or may become somewhatsmaller by reason of the settling of the stack, but will remainsufliciently open for the curing of the grain.

The ability to dump the stack sidewise from my improved machine enablesthe space formers to be located out of the track of the machine, but itis to be understood that my herein described method of forming stacksmay be performed, under proper conc ditions, with a rear dumping machineor with a bottom dumping machine.

In the dumping operation the function of the cam like guides 43 is tothrust the bottom 6 bodily outward as its inner edge is elevated, togive the stack a good clearance from the rear end wall 3 as the machinecontinues to advance; thereafter the upper parts of the guides 43retract the bottom somewhat, as it continues to be hoisted so as towithdraw the bottom relative to the stack to avoid any tendency ofdeforming or upsetting the stack by the outer part of the bottomdragging along the same. This action of the guides -13 is permitted bythe links 18, which should be arranged with their pivots adapted topermit the above described outward and inward movement of the outer partof the said bottom 6. The links 18 may be arranged vertically, or at asteeper angle than shown, and may be shorter or longer. Also these linksmay be dispensed with and the bottom, as it is tilted, may first slide alittle outward on the frame 7 and thereafter may .slide on the sill 10as the bottom becomes more steeply elevated. The arrangement may be suchthat the pulley 32 and its clutch member 31 are moved on the shaft 8 bythe lever 26, for clutching with the member 30. The walls of the airspace forming devices (1 may in some cases be of reticulated material.

By dropping the formed and weighty stack from more or less of anelevation on to the air space former the filaments of the grain areheavily compacted around the air spaces, so that said filaments becomeset in the forms to which they are bent by the weight of the stack, andthe air spaces are preserved for the curing of the grain in the stackduring a period of time, with or without the continued presence of thespace former. If it is desired to leave the air space formers in thestacks during any material part of the curing period the walls of theformers should be of reticulated material to promote the gradualcirculation of air and vapor into and out from the interstices of thestack;

In case the operator should not throw out the clutch at the time ofdumping, the winding up of the ropes 33 will be stopped and the bottom 6released by a cam 60 fixed on the pulley 32 and adapted to encounter andthrow out the lever 26 when the ropes 33 have been sufliciently takenup.

The devices last described constitute automatic means for throwing outof operation the mechanism which inclines the bottom of the stackformer.

In Fig. 8 a construction is shown in which the link support for theouter end of the bottom 6 is dispensed with, and said end is .vuided,under the movement imposed by the ropes 33 and the guide 43, by means ofrollers 42 fixed one at each side of the bottom 6 and running inhorizontal guide plates 43 which latter are fixed on the inner faces ofthe front andrear walls of the stack former. In Fig. 8 the outer portionof the bottom is broken away to show the front roller and guide plate.

61 is a wheel frame attached to the frame 7 and carrying the outer endof the axle 8 by a suitable bearing. The length and position of the arms46 and the amount of slack in the ropes 44: may be varied as re quiredto get the proper action of the gate 5.

The stack when delivered to and in proper condition on the groundsimilar to those produced by machines that I have heretofore made suchas shown in my Patent No. 1,104,885 has, broadly, the advantagesincidentto forming such a mass without bundle binding and having thestraws in compact but unbound condition. But I have found that, undermany conditions met with in carrying on the work, important advantagesare secured by positioning the stack upon the ground at points well tothe side of the apparatus rather than delivering them to the ground atpoints directly in line of travel of the stack former.

There is less frictional resistance to a discharge of the load. In thepresent machine the only resistance is that offered by the end walls ofthe stacker chamber. I have heretofore constructed machines in which theresistance to the escape of a straw mass in a condensed or solid formwas presented or offered by the long side walls of the stacker chamber,to overcome which special provision had to be made in having wallsexpansible or separable to some extent. In case any appreciableresistance should be experienced in any special circumstances in amechanism like that herein the end walls can be arranged to divergeslightly away from each other toward the discharge side withoutrequiring them to be movable, so

that the only resistance to the quick discharge of the load is a portionofthe mere receptacle, there is possibility of its so settling that whenthe machine is making: the next traverse of the field some of itsprojecting parts will be in line of the stack, especially if the horsesdiverge toward the previously deposited stacks, as they are likely to dowith diversion of the machine from its proper course. With a mechanismlike the present the position in which the stack is delivered is suchthat it stands a number of feet remote laterally from any part of themachine, and still farther from the machine and team when the machinemakes the next round. And when the stacks are formed with an extendedlength dimension they can at the time of depositing on the ground beshaped in a superior way for permitting the access of air. Asillustrated in the drawings two or more short trans verse air passagescan be formed, andthese may be varied in number as desired byconstructing the space former C with the desired number of formingelements 57 according to the length of the stack.

Relative to the cross area of a ventilating opening each unit of airwhich passes said area is required to properly supply a less area of thestack and of the straw within the same than if'said opening were longer.A shorter air passage increases the desired beneficial and curing actionof the air during a unit of time; also the former C, especially if itcomprises a plurality of thedevices 57, may be withdrawn from the stackwith less resistance and impairment of the shape of the stack. By meansof this construction of the machine and method of depositing the stackand deforming it on stationar air space formers on the ground I am ab eto increase somewhat the width and height of the ventilating openings inthe stack, with better access of air to the inte rior of the stack,without subsequent collapse of the same which would close them ordecrease them to an ineflicient size. By depositing the stack in thedirection of its shorter dimension and sidewise to the line of draft Ican make the air spaces E shorter without extending the width of themachine as is done when the stack former extends lengthwise away fromthe sickle and deposits the stack rearwardly.

What I claim. is:

1. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, and a bottom for dumping thestack, said bottom being movable relative to said stack forming wallsand inclinable toward said outwardly movable side wall to deposit thestack at the side of the course of the machine.

2. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, a bottom for dumping thestack, said bottom being movable relative to said stack forming wallsand inclinable toward said outwardly movable side wall to deposit thestack at the side of the course of the machine, and means connected witha ground wheel for inclining said bottom.

3. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, a bottom for dumping thestack, said bottom being movable relative to said stack forming wallsand inclinable toward said outwardly movable side wall to deposit thestack at the side of the course of the machine, mechanism connected witha ground wheel for inclining said bottom, and automatic means forthrowing said mechanism out of operation when the bottom has beeninclined to dumping position.

4. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, and a bottom for dumping thestack, said bottom being movable relative to said stack forming wallsand inclinable toward said outwardly movable side wall to deposit thestack at the side of the course of the machine, and a winding mechanismconnected with a ground wheel for inclining said bottom.

5. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, a bottom for dumping thestack, said bottom being movable relative to said stack forming wallsand inclinable toward said outwardly movable side walls to deposit thestack at the side of the course of the machine, a winding mechanismconnected with a ground wheel for inclining said bottom, and means forarresting the operation of the winding mechanism when said bottom is indumping position without stopping the travel of the machine.

6. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support comprising a longitudinal sillat the dumping side of the machine, ground wheels carrying the ends ofsaid sill, and an axle extending from the other side of the machine anda ground wheel on said axle; and a bottom for dumping the stack, saidbottom being movable relative to said stack-forming walls and inclinabletoward said outwardly movable side wall to deposit the stack at the sideof the course of the machine.

7. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support comprising a longitudinal sillat the dumping side of the machine, ground wheels carrying the ends ofsaid sill, and an axle extending from the other side of the machine anda ground wheel on said axle; a bottom for dumping the stack, said bottombeing movable relative to said stack-forming walls and inclinable towardsaid outwardly movable side wall to deposit the stack at the side of thecourse of the machine, and a winding mechanism connected with saidbottom and with said ground wheel.

8. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, and a bottom for dumping thestack, said bottom being movable relative to said stack-forming wallsand inclinable toward said outwardly movable side wall to near thenormal plane of said movable side wall to deposit the stack at the sideof the course of the machine.

9. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end stack-formingwalls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, a tiltable bottom for dumpingthe formedstack, and an apron adapted to collect grain while the bottomis tilted and to thereafter deposit the same on the bottom when thelatter returns to normal position, said apron being flexible and beingattached to one of the stackforming walls and to said bottom.

10. In a transportable stack former, the combination of endstack-forming walls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite stackformingoutwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, a tiltable bottom for dumpingthe stack and temporarily acting grain receiving means which isconnected with the tilt able bottom and is moved thereby into grainreceiving position.

11. In a transportable stack former, the combination of endstack-forming walls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite sidestack-forming outwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, and a bottomfor dumping the stack, said bottom being tiltable relative to saidstack-forming wall and inclinable toward said outwardly movable Wall todeposit the stack at the side of the course of the machine, and meansfor moving said bottom bodily outward as it is tilted.

12. In a transportable stack former, the combination of endstack-forming walls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite sidestack-forming outwardly movable wall, a wheeled support, and a bottomfor clumping the stack, said bottom being tiltable relative to saidstack forming walls and inclinable toward said outwardly movable sidewall to deposit the stack at the side of the course of the machine, andmeans for moving said bottom outwardly and inwardly in addition to saidtilting movement.

13. In a transportable stack former, the combination of end-staclforming walls, a side stack-forming wall, an opposite side stack-formingoutwardly movable Wall, a wheeled support, a bottom for dumping thestack, said bottom being tiltable relative to said stack-forming wallsand inclinable toward said outwardly movable side wall to deposit thestack at the side of the course of the machine, and means whereby saidbottom is interlocked with said outwardly movable wall, saidinterlocking being released by the movement of the bottom.

14. In a transportable stack former, the

combination of end stack-forming walls, a

side staclrforming wall, an opposite side stack-forming outwardlymovable wall, a

wheeled support, and a bottom for dumping the stack, said bottom beingmovable relabody for the formation of a stack of grain which iselongated in one horizontal direction and relatively narrow in the otherhorizontal direction, combined with means for forming ventilating airspace openings through the stack in the direction of its narrowerdimension, the space-forming elements being arranged parallel with thesaid narrow horizontal dimension of the stack.

I In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

DAVID M. GRAHAM.

